Copley, Ohio – Vivek Bhalla, president of Summa Health Medical Group, has been charged under Ohio’s revenge porn law after allegedly disseminating a private photo of a woman to her family, business partners, and social media contacts.
The Copley Police Department initiated an investigation after a woman contacted them around 5:30 p.m. on saturday, reporting the incident. According to a police report, she left Ohio fearing for the safety of herself and her children before contacting authorities.She alleged that after leaving the state, Bhalla sent the photo via text message and social media.
Bhalla, who has worked at Summa health as 2009, served as the hospital’s chief medical officer from 2018 to 2021 before being promoted to his current role in 2021. He has been placed on leave during the investigation, a Summa Health spokesperson confirmed.
“We are aware of the allegations against Dr. Bhalla and take them very seriously,” Summa Health said in a statement.
Police reports indicate that when officers visited Bhalla’s home, he denied disseminating the photo, stating, “Oh yea.I don’t know about that.It wasn’t necessarily me. My phone was in other people’s hands.”
After being informed he would be arrested and charged, Bhalla allegedly attempted to hand his phone to his mother and refused to provide officers with the phone’s password. Officers recovered the phone as evidence.
Ohio’s revenge porn law was initially enacted as a misdemeanor offense in 2018 under former gov. John Kasich. Enhanced penalties went into effect on Sept. 30 following the signing of House Bill 96 by Gov.Mike DeWine.
Donald Malarcik, Bhalla’s attorney, has been contacted for comment. The nature of the relationship between Bhalla and the woman has not been disclosed.
